Watching the extraordinary outrage in Spain, with the press accusing the Frenchman of lacking class and La Liga branding the deal as "scandalous", has raised eyebrows. But not as many as PSG being able to stump up a €200m-plus package for the world's best player despite making a €224m loss last year.
There are no good guys here, only a gnawing unease that the laws of economic gravity are being defied to the further detriment of the game we love. As La Liga put it in an unprecedented attack, the transfer showed that state-owned clubs, such as the Qatar-run PSG, "do not respect and do not want to respect the rules of a sector as important as football" and that "sporting integrity" was at stake.
They are big claims and La Liga has backed them up with a vow to file a complaint to Uefa and the EU. Yet Real Madrid are hardly paragons of virtue in this area. Last year they were central to the European Super League project, which threatened the sporting integrity of European football far more than Mbappé staying with PSG. Recently they were also one of four Spanish clubs ordered by the EU's highest court to pay back millions of euros after it ruled they had benefited from state aid.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin May 23, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin May 23, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Bayern beset by discord with Eberl cast into The Thick of It
Club legend's criticism of Tuchel before semi-final first leg tonight provides head of sport with difficult welcome
Bellingham's duel with Kane a reminder of divergent paths
For all the Bayern forward's excellence, his England teammate's meteoric rise is alesson in seizing the day
Raya rising to occasion for Arsenal despite derby blip
The goalkeeper relishes title pressure and remained composed after his mistake gifted Tottenham a goal
Vardy double helps seal title as Leicester crown top-flight return
Enzo Maresca has changed a lot to take Leicester back to the Premier League at the first time of asking but it seemed inevitable Jamie Vardy would have the final say, scoring a double in a 3-0 win to help secure the Championship title at Preston.
Chaos theory Why the IPL has descended into an arcade-style hitting contest
I've been kind of watching the Indian Premier League for the last five weeks.
Border checks Physical inspections begin on animal and plant imports
After more than three years of delays, today finally sees the introduction of physical checks on animal and plant imports coming into Britain from the EU.
Vinted puts on glad rags as sales soar to €600m
The online secondhand fashion seller Vinted has reported a 61% rise in sales to almost €600m (£513m), taking the company out of the red for the first time amid a boom in demand for \"pre-loved\" clothing.
Roma on the frontline Calls to end prejudice after the war
Growing up in Ukraine, Arsen Mednik often found himself singled out - at school, children would point at him, calling him \"Gypsy\", while employers were often reluctant to hire him when they learned he was Roma.
Jeepney drivers begin strike over Philippine modernisation plan
A three-day strike by jeepney drivers in the Philippines began yesterday as transport groups warned that thousands could be pushed off the roads by government modernisation plans.
Alleged far-right plotters on trial accused of plan to topple German state
Nine people have gone on trial amid tight security in the southern German city of Stuttgart in one of three cases linked to an alleged far-right plot to overthrow the state led by a pseudo aristocrat businessman.
